In his speech Stephen Williams compared conditions in Africa to those in Britain 250 years ago. He said "It is unacceptable that people are living eighteenth century lives in a twenty first century world." Every day 4,000 children die from diarrhoea related illnesses, caused by poor sanitation. Over a hundred million children are missing out on primary school. But the MP pointed out that some poor countries achieve more than others. For instance, Sri Lanka despite being ranked 63rd in the world income rankings still manages to achieve 100% primary school enrolments, 86% access to clean water and 91% of villages have sewage treatment.
